


Jealousy Looks Good on You

by hearts_kun



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Divorce, F/M, Gen, M/M, Ryuji crushing on Goro, akeharu arranged marriage, implied makoharu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 23:17:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16293782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearts_kun/pseuds/hearts_kun
Summary: He knows he deserved all of this: being lonely, aimless, hated, forgotten. But still, this evening, looking at his fake wife fliterring between guests, he feels uneasy. Almost as if jealousy is clutching his chest... All until Sakamoto appears.





	Jealousy Looks Good on You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JadeDraggy2017](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeDraggy2017/gifts).



The evening was ruined the moment she waved her little invisible tail at him and dove into the crowd, determined to have some fun. He knew very well that anything his wife found fun could only ever be disastrous. Besides, he hated hearing her heels clinking at the marble floor as she graciously floated from one guest to another, her smile becoming wider and wider with every step. With every inch she was farther from him. Closer to others. Closer to freedom.

“Damn, for a moment I mistook your face for a lemon. Can’t chill after all, huh?”

It sounded harsh, but weirdly friendly. Albeit expectedly so: by now Goro got used to this ease and casualness that followed Sakamoto everywhere. He simply sighed and looked away.

Sakamoto didn’t hesitate to grip his shoulder, uplifted and enthusiastic as always. He leaned to Goro’s ear, brushing it with his hot breath, “You’re leaking with jealousy, you know that?”

Goro twitched.

“I’m not,” he tried to cut off, but Sakamoto took a step back so victoriously, so… self-righteously, that it was impossible not to clench his fists. Why did it bother him even? Was he really jealous? Jealous of stupid suited men and women that got his wife’s genuine attention, jealous of the Phantom Thieves, disguised among the public to visit her and give her the warmest, the sweetest kisses on the cheeks and, maybe (an image of a post-apocalyptic rider flashing in mind), on the lips too — was he really jealous of that?

After all that happened, Sakamoto was the only one who still willingly talked to him not about business, and he definitely wasn’t the one to help Goro figure himself out.

Of course, Haru was his wife, but everything between them was fake, arranged, dishonest. And — he killed her father. And — now, that Shido no longer ruled their lives, they had to wait just a bit more before the divorce documents would be ready. Before freedom would be ready. Served on a silver plate, as a red carpet leading her to new friends and accomplishments and him — to darkness, loneliness and meaninglessness. Unlike her, he didn’t have an objective anymore. Maybe that’s what he was jealous about.

“It looks nice tho. Haven’t seen ya so determined ever since you wanted to kill us on that fucking ship. Kinda nice to know there’s something else that can light you up.”

“I don’t think ‘light up’ means— Did you just swear out loud?”

Sakamoto cackled.

“Kids grow up, huh?”

Goro stared at him as Sakamoto caught someone’s gaze in the crowd and started waving enthusiastically. This all felt wrong. Sakamoto swearing heavily and, more importantly, talking to him; Haru longing for her well-deserved freedom. The Phantom Thieves not caring anymore, enjoying their justice that they were fighting for all these years. Himself, Goro Akechi, standing in this hall, dissociating, blurry sight, unnoticeably trembling knees.

It felt like an end of something, an end that didn’t have any beginnings hidden behind it, an end that only brought void. As if there was still something to lose. As if he liked her somehow, as if he still wanted to be… a part of the team… maybe?

Goro shook his head vigorously. Bullshit. Complete bullshit. He was so far past all these misconceptions about love and friendship, he couldn’t possibly care. That thing that was stinging inside of him, it must’ve been plain jealousy. Jealousy to those who still managed to stay naive after all that happened. Jealousy that would go away eventually. Just that.

Sakamoto finished smiling somewhere far away and looked at him with genuine concern. Goro felt corners of his mouth go down: he had a lot of emotions about Sakamoto being the only thief that talked to him, but he hated being pitied. Always. Surprisingly, Sakamoto’s face changed to confused as he scratched the back of his head as if considering something.

“Listen… Know you hate all that shit, but… ain’t it gonna be lonely without her?” Sakamoto averted his eyes, obviously ashamed of his question, but continued with little hesitation, “Cause, you know, you spent two years in one house, after all. Just thought… You wouldn’t mind some company after all this is over?”

Goro slowly met his eyes, feeling something weird and tight curling, knotting inside his chest.

“Did I hear that right?” he didn’t realize he was saying out loud. Sakamoto sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment (breaking the contact), and shrugged.

“I don’t know, dude, what did you hear from that?” he asked but didn’t give Goro a chance to answer, “That I want to hang out together when she moves out, then, ye, you heard right. Look, I know you probably hate the Phantom Thieves and guys kinda hate you back, but I really don’t. So, like… Haru’s gonna be alright without my clumsy comments, she’s got a whole group on her side and Makoto too. They won’t really need me there.”

“I don’t hate them,” Goro noted, unable to react to anything else. Unable to… process. Was that pity? Was that… acceptance? At this point, he had no idea. He couldn’t read Ryuji Sakamoto. He felt… weird. Uneasy. Grateful. Confused.

He made a strange movement with his hand, following a tangled train of thoughts, then blinked blankly.

“Thank you… I guess.”

Sakamoto grinned at him uncertainly.

Jealousy moved itself to the background, driven out by bits of unsteady hope.


End file.
